"WW84" lopsided, but a surprising, fun, and playful sequel

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Filmmaker Patty Jenkins not only made one of the more smashing DC Extended Universe films before “Shazam!” and “Birds of Prey” with 2017’s “Wonder Woman,” but it was a solid origin story for Diana Prince without being campy. Also: Gal Gadot, meet the world; the world, meet Gal Gadot. Whereas the first film from Jenkins felt old-fashioned, albeit in a good way, and not just because it was set during World War I, the sequel “Wonder Woman 1984” (stylized as “WW84”) feels retro in ways that are refreshingly unafraid to get goofy but also just sincere. As a follow-up plagued by expectations, “WW84” can be lopsided on a storytelling level but sometimes even more surprising. In a vacuum, it is fun and playful with more than enough to recommend.

After the end of World War I, it has been the mission of Amazon princess Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) to fight for love in order to save the world. It’s now 1984, and she works as an anthropologist at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., but also takes out mall robbers with her golden Lasso of Truth as Wonder Woman. When a citrine stone turns up at the museum to be investigated, its Monkey’s Paw-like powers to grant wishes that come with a price change everything. Socially awkward, practically invisible gemologist Dr. Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), who works at the Smithsonian with Diana, wishes to be just like Diana—sexy, strong, and stylish—while slimy oil tycoon Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) becomes a megalomaniac after stealing the stone. Diana’s wish comes true when her true love, late pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), returns in the body of another man. As both Barbara and Maxwell grow stronger, albeit morph into less-humane versions of their former selves, Diana’s power drains. More importantly, Maxwell could drain the entire world until nothing is left.

“WW84” is a lot of movie and wants to get its arms around quite a bit, but Patty Jenkins keeps everything moving at a rip-roaring pace. The opening flashback that kicks off the Amazon Olympics in Themyscira is dazzling. Thematically, it connects to the shortcuts little Diana (Lilly Aspell) takes to win against her adult competitors, and it’s perhaps an excuse to have Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen return as Diana’s late general aunt Antiope and Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyta, respectively. Writer-director Jenkins & co-writers Geoff Johns & Dave Callaham (2019’s “Zombieland: Double Tap”) also manage to bring Steve Trevor back from the dead. The reunion between Diana and Steve is certainly sweet, even if the way in which Steve returns might be problematic and raises a lot of questions about consent. This time, Steve gets to be the fish out of water and react with ace comedic timing. All of the “what is that?!” laughs involving Steve’s puzzled reactions to breakdancing, parachute pants, escalators, and a trash can aside, there is a delicate poignancy to the truth that their physical love cannot last. There’s also a wondrous and beautiful moment between Diana and Steve in a fighter jet protected by an invisibility shield and soaring through fireworks in the clouds.

Gal Gadot is terrific once again as Diana Prince, a wonderfully fierce, determined, and intelligent role model and superhero. Watch as she confidently enters a gala, wearing a flowing dress and drawing attention, but just smiling and having no interest in the men who constantly approach her. Gadot and Chris Pine are so well-matched, but the same goes for Gadot and Kristen Wiig. It couldn’t be a superhero movie, of course, without a villain, and like the first film, there is more than one. None of them begin as villains, though. Before wishing to be an “apex predator,” Kristen Wiig’s Dr. Barbara Minerva is sympathetic, and one would have gladly seen an entire first act between just Diana and Barbara talking and bonding over early dinners. An additive to any film no matter the genre, Wiig certainly rises to the occasion, having a sort-of Selina Kyle-to-Catwoman transformation. Barbara’s geek-to-chic arc, however, feels slightly shortchanged in the end; what’s missing is a vital moment of seeing and feeling how her loss of humanity has impacted her. Larger-than-life but not without shading, Pedro Pascal makes terrific use of power-hungry bad guy Maxwell Lord by bringing a lost humanity buried under greed. His relationship with young son Alistair (Lucian Perez), though, could have been beefed up more to stick the emotional landing that the film clearly strives for in the end. 

“WW84” is thrilling, heroically heartfelt, and never above a little ‘80s excess. The stone is a complete McGuffin—and if you accept the conceptually simple rules, you’ll get along just fine—but the through-line of truth overpowering plain desire is what brings everything home. Diana’s greatest super power is love and empathy after all. The action set-pieces are exciting and cleanly staged, including a mall robbery, a desert chase, and a fight within the White House. In line with the over-the-top nature of the ‘80s decade, the showdown between Diana and Barbara-as-Cheetah is quite silly yet still fun to watch. It also wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility had the brawl turned into a musical number straight out of “Cats.” One does wish the final cut were more tightly constructed, but this is one of those rare times where a film’s messiness is actually more of a feature than a bug, a selling point rather than a deal-breaker. What's more, the mid-credit treat is mighty cute. Like Diana herself, “WW84” is an ultimately hopeful bright light.

Grade: B

Warner Bros. is releasing “Wonder Woman 1984” (151 min.) in theaters and on HBO Max on December 25, 2020.